Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brookings, SD and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,202 a month against $2,639 in Brookings, SD, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Brookings, SD
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Brookings, SD Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
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Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Brookings, SD

🇺🇸 United States

$2,639

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,202

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Brookings, SD and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Brookings, SD and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,639 per month in Brookings, SD vs $1,202 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Brookings, SD $2,639
Playa del Carmen $1,202

A couple spends around $3,597 per month in Brookings, SD vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Brookings, SD $3,597
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $4,556 per month in Brookings, SD vs $2,962 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Brookings, SD $4,556
Playa del Carmen $2,962

Brookings, SD costs about 119% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Brookings, SD sits 95% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 11% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.36 $17.36

$10.67 MX$199

62.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.21 $39.21

$43.80 MX$815

-10.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.52 $11.52

$11.79 MX$219

-2.29%

Cappuccino

$4.52 $4.52

$3.79 MX$70.5

19.26%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 $2.46

$1.30 MX$24.14

89.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 $2.01

$0.83 MX$15.51

142.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.85 $5.85

$3.15 MX$58.6

85.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$4.93 MX$91.8

38.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 $0.89

$1.41 MX$26.22

-36.88%

White Bread (500g)

$3.68 $3.68

$2.20 MX$40.86

67.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.44 $6.44

$1.47 MX$27.40

338.10%

Eggs

$3.52 $3.52

$2.50 MX$46.47

40.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.38 $10.38

$7.29 MX$136

42.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.66 $13.66

$7.95 MX$148

71.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.99 $12.99

$12.86 MX$239

1.01%

Apples (1kg)

$5.72 $5.72

$2.90 MX$53.9

97.24%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 $1.81

$1.38 MX$25.74

31.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$6.61 $6.61

$2.49 MX$46.36

165.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.07 $5.07

$2.03 MX$37.78

149.75%

Potato (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$2.02 MX$37.69

120.79%

Onion (1kg)

$4.27 $4.27

$1.90 MX$35.42

124.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 $2.28

$1.14 MX$21.30

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.03 $2.03

$1.24 MX$23.06

63.71%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.84 $12.84

$4.27 MX$79.5

200.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 $12.05

$9.81 MX$183

22.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 $2.89

$1.59 MX$29.51

81.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.81 $5.81

$2.75 MX$51.1

111.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 MX$9.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.39 MX$510

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.90 $4.90

$4.76 MX$88.6

2.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.67 $1.67

$3.25 MX$60.5

-48.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.75 $23.75

$5.39 MX$100

340.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$1.53 MX$28.44

-32.03%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.6K $29.6K

$21.2K MX$394.8K

39.36%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$25.9K $25.9K

$23.3K MX$432.9K

11.31%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$184 $184

$83.5 MX$1,554

120.86%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$57.3 $57.3

$23.19 MX$431

146.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.4 $69.4

$27.61 MX$514

151.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.4 MX$1,050

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.19 MX$525

Cinema Ticket

$12.03 $12.03

$5.00 MX$93.1

140.60%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,316 $1,316

$207 MX$3,854

535.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K $36.7K

$5,231 MX$97.4K

600.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.51 $42.51

$43.45 MX$809

-2.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.79 $34.79

$42.54 MX$792

-18.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.7 $88.7

$72.8 MX$1,354

21.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$88.4 MX$1,645

18.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,715 $1,715

$995 MX$18.5K

72.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,459 $1,459

$382 MX$7,116

281.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,051 $2,051

$1,674 MX$31.2K

22.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,107 $2,107

$1,081 MX$20.1K

94.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,339 $2,339

$3,909 MX$72.7K

-40.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,374 $2,374

$6,138 MX$114.2K

-61.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$832 MX$15.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.5

11.45

-51.97%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Brookings, SD: November 1, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Brookings, SD

$1.5K 55.3%

Playa del Carmen

$382 31.8% 73.8% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Brookings, SD

$421 16%

Playa del Carmen

$257 21.4% 38.8% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brookings, SD

$311 11.8%

Playa del Carmen

$134 11.2% 56.8% $177

Eating Out

Brookings, SD

$288 10.9%

Playa del Carmen

$200 16.7% 30.6% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Brookings, SD

$122 4.6%

Playa del Carmen

$111 9.3% 8.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Brookings, SD

$24 * 0.9%

Playa del Carmen

$66 5.5% 176% $42

Getting Around

Brookings, SD

$13 * 0.5%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 281% $37

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,715 in Brookings, SD versus $995 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Brookings, SD versus $44 in Playa del Carmen. Groceries tell a different story – $421 in Brookings, SD vs $257 in Playa del Carmen – so Playa del Carmen wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Brookings, SD

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

09:19 9:19 AM

10:19 10:19 AM

1 h ahead of Brookings, SD

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,802

149,923

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

100 MXN = 5.37 USD

100 MXN = 4.79 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 18.61 MXN (100 MXN = 5.37 USD). 1 EUR = 20.86 MXN (100 MXN = 4.79 EUR).

MXN to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brookings, SD Playa del Carmen 2,780 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Brookings, SD
Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Brookings, SD vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Brookings, SD costs about 119% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,958 per month in Brookings, SD and $1,804 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Playa del Carmen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $995 there versus $1,715 in Brookings, SD.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Brookings, SD and $44 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 63% more in Brookings, SD, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,202, than in Brookings, SD at $2,639. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Brookings, SD it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Playa del Carmen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.